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A DNA-fuelled molecular machine made of DNA

Nature volume 406, pages 605–608 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Molecular recognition between complementary strands of DNA allows construction on a nanometre length scale. For example, DNA tags may be used to organize the assembly of colloidal particles1,2, and DNA templates can direct the growth of semiconductor nanocrystals3 and metal wires4. As a structural material in its own right, DNA can be used to make ordered static arrays of tiles5, linked rings6 and polyhedra7. The construction of active devices is also possible—for example, a nanomechanical switch8, whose conformation is changed by inducing a transition in the chirality of the DNA double helix. Melting of chemically modified DNA has been induced by optical absorption9, and conformational changes caused by the binding of oligonucleotides or other small groups have been shown to change the enzymatic activity of ribozymes10,11,12,13. Here we report the construction of a DNA machine in which the DNA is used not only as a structural material, but also as ‘fuel’. The machine, made from three strands of DNA, has the form of a pair of tweezers. It may be closed and opened by addition of auxiliary strands of ‘fuel’ DNA; each cycle produces a duplex DNA waste product.

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Figure 1: Oligonucleotide sequences.
Figure 2: Construction and operation of the molecular tweezers.
Figure 3: Cycling the molecular tweezers.
Figure 4: Analysis of tweezer formation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

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Acknowledgements

F.C.S. thanks the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies , 600 Mountain Avenue, Murray Hill, 07974, New Jersey, USA

    Bernard Yurke, Andrew J. Turberfield, Allen P. Mills Jr, Friedrich C. Simmel & Jennifer L. Neumann

  2. Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK

    Andrew J. Turberfield

Authors
  1. Bernard Yurke
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  2. Andrew J. Turberfield
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  4. Friedrich C. Simmel
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Correspondence to Andrew J. Turberfield.

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Yurke, B., Turberfield, A., Mills, A. et al. A DNA-fuelled molecular machine made of DNA. Nature 406, 605–608 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35020524

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